Lightroom 4

 Photography  15 Responses »
Mar 062012
 

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Lightroom 4 is no longer beta software. Adobe has just released it. During my evaluation of it, I found enough things in it to like and thought that I would upgrade if it came in under $100 and it did. The upgrade is $79 + tax, if applicable.

After a few hiccups, I was able to download it. I think that the Adobe servers were quite busy this morning, so my automatic download would not start. I had to find the download and do it manually. It’s a 384 MB download and took about 12 minutes over my network.

It’s funny, the thing that I thought that I’d like the most, I no longer care so much about, the book module. I do really like the sliders for Highlights, Lights, Darks, and Shadows. It makes things a bit easier to fine tune, which is all that I seem to do. I rarely use CS4 and probably won’t do another Photoshop upgrade. I just don’t get enough use out of that big old sledgehammer!

New Processing Technology
Not present in the beta, is a new feature. There is an exclamation point that appears to the bottom and right of a photo when you are in Develop mode. Clicking on it will show a dialog asking you if you want to covert the photo to the new processing technology. I’ve done this on a few photos and, quite honestly, cannot tell much different save for, perhaps, a bit of opening in the shadows and maybe a little more vibrance in the colors, but nothing big. I’ll keep experimenting with it.

GPS Tags
Also, when I first opened it up, it asked if I wanted to allow LR4 to communicate with Google Maps to do reverse GPS locations. That is, for all of your images that have GPS tags in them, LR4 will put their locations on a Google Map so that you can see everywhere you’ve been. Most of photos, save for the ones taken with the iPhone, are not tagged with GPS coordinates, so I turned this feature off.

Soft Proofing
For the most part, my Epson 3800 sits on the sidelines doing a fantastic job of keeping dust off of my desk. I don’t print much, but from time to time, I feel the desire to do so; however, the cost per sheet gets pretty high when you sit idle between batches. Soft proofing can be quite useful, assuming that you have your monitor profiled correctly and have the correct profiles for the paper that you are using.

I reviewed a video about soft proofing and really liked what I saw. Lightroom allows you to make adjustments to bring colors, etc, into gamut (printable on the device that you are using for output). I need some more photo black ink before I try, but perhaps Tom Dills latest post, Sign of the times, has given me the incentive to try printing again, if so, I’ll be doing my printing from within LR4. More on that later.

Overall, I like what I see and am glad for the upgrade. Perhaps it will help me expand my post-processing knowledge and make it easier. Most certainly worth the $79 upgrade.

 Posted by at 10:32  Tagged with: ,

Showing up

 Photography  5 Responses »
Mar 052012
 

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I’m attending this workshop this weekend, March 10th. Sometime this week I need to pick a few photos where I think that I ‘showed’ up and a couple of others where I was close, but couldn’t/didn’t quite pull it off.

As I’ve never taken one of Les Saucier’s workshops, I’m not quite sure of what his definition of showing up will be. Here’s the assignment:

The only rule in Photography is that you have to Show Up. The Photographic Gifts are always present … all you have to do is show up.
You have to show up physically
… You have to show up to your creativity
… You have to show up to your own vision
… You have to show up to the place
… You have to show up to the subject
… You have to show up to your tools and skills.
Bring six images to this one day workshop, some which you feel you showed up and some which you feel you did your best to show up but something is missing.
~Les Saucier

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This has been an interesting exercise as I think are any exercises requiring me to go back and look at previous work. I always see something else. Regarding his criteria, it seems to make sense, although I am a bit curious to know what it means to show up to your own vision and your own creativity. I would suppose that it might mean don’t come to the ‘show’ with ideas to take photos like you’ve seen someone else do before, a ‘crime’ in which I have been guilty many times before. :)

Showing up the subject … hmmm, being prepared for what you intend to shoot, bringing the right tools and skills?

I’m pretty excited about the workshop, too. I’ve included a couple of photos that made the cut for my 2007 book, which has not been printed yet, where I thought that I showed up and came away with something that I really liked. These,in particular, because they were made in an weed choked field, an undeveloped property. Nothing special … on the surface.

I wonder if you can show up with everything in its place and come home empty handed. I would imagine so … There is no magic formula, but if I can find a few nuggets to make things more consistent, them I’m all for it.

Oddly enough, I’ve not picked those that where I did my best to show up but something is missing. I have plenty of ‘failed’ shots to choose from, thousands, but those that are ‘close’, I shall have to examine more closely.

 Posted by at 19:49  Tagged with: ,

A sudden spike – A new discovery

 Photography  5 Responses »
Mar 022012
 

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I generally only head over to Google Analytics when something on my dashboard catches my eye. I noticed this the other day, a spike in the number of visits. I was curious what was the cause. I looked at the post that I did on February 10th, the post after the day of the spike and saw nothing much of consequence. I had done a post about making backgrounds from muslin and dye. No biggie.
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Usually I get these spikes when I do an equipment review that someone may be interested in, but the spikes seem to be ride out a little longer. They go up more gradually, stay up for a short time, then taper off, not quite like this ‘sawtooth’.

Upon further investigation and stumbling around Analytics, I came to the discovery that I had been referenced in Week 6:Photographic Voice in some newsletter that I’d never heard of before, Ali Edwards, 52 Creative Lifts. I couldn’t find the place that I’d been referenced, but a simple e-mail to the author provided that link. As a matter of fact, I had been quoted twice from the same article. And that those quotes got me some additional 250+ hits that day. Now, I don’t know if any of those people turned into returning visitors, but it was nice to get the spike anyway. Hopefully some will return and participate, or at least read.

Upon having a look at the newsletter, I found that I liked it and, in fact, subscribed to it myself. There are lots of ideas for sparking creativity, in general, and some about photography! You might have a look and see if you like it.

 Posted by at 12:21  Tagged with: ,

Why buy a discontinued camera

 Photography  18 Responses »
Mar 022012
 

I got a call from Adorama and the deal is done. They made me an offer that I could have refused, but didn’t. The had some stuff that I wanted, so I got it. So, here’s what’s on the way:

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D700
28-70 mm Nikkor f/2.8 VR
105 mm f/2.8 Nikon Micro (Macro) lens.

Two of the items, the D700 and 28-70 mm are used, but in Like New, or Demo shape. For sure, Adorama beat me on the spread; they will make a decent profit on this deal, for sure; however, I got exactly what I wanted. I’ve wanted the D700 since it came out, so here I go and buy it a few weeks after it’s discontinued. I suppose that had I waited a few more weeks until the D800 came out, I could have made even a better deal, but I didn’t.

So now, I will have a full frame camera and 3 lenses to use with it. One for wide to portrait, one for macro or portrait, and a 50 mm. That about does it for me.

Now, why buy a discontinued item? Why not. It’s a great camera, has everything that I want, including NO video, and is a price point that I can afford. I kept looking at the D800 and didn’t see anything that made me say: Wow! I’d like to have that.

So, now, I have a D700 and a D300. Of course, I’ll take the D700 out into the woods with me and play with the full-frame sensor. The D300 would still be my go-to sports camera. Yeah. I still like gear and I don’t really need a reason to buy any other than I want it. LOL :)

The best thing about the D700 – it has no video and still has a nice 12.3 MP sensor and higher ISO sensitivity, if I need it. I’m going to have to try that 25,600, just for fun! As an FYI, both the D700 and D300s are discontinued. That was a short life for the D300s!

 Posted by at 01:00  Tagged with: , ,

No wildflowers just yet …

 Photography  3 Responses »
Mar 012012
 

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I’m excited to be back in the woods! This morning, I went back, without fog, and stayed for almost two hours. I was on a hunt for wildflowers, but they were not to be found.
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I looked high and low, hither and yon, to and fro and not a wildflower was spotted. Oh well. I had a great time listing to the woodpeckers, the squirrels scampering about, and the trickle of the stream.

On the way I out I saw one of the employees and asked him where was the best place to see wildflowers. He told me that I was about 2 weeks too early, but that when they do start to show up, he told me which trails were good for spring, which for summer, and which for late fall and autumn. Sweet. Nice having someone on the inside.

So, I just spent my morning looking at moss, fungi, and the daffodils. A great morning and a wonderful day thus far, about 75 degrees and sunny. Not bad for March 1st!

 Posted by at 14:40  Tagged with: , ,

Where I connect

 Photography  8 Responses »
Feb 292012
 

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Curves

Going over my photos from the past several years and preparing my books has been a great learning experience. Previously, I’d take the photos and move on. Now, having to go back to the past photos, evaluate them for inclusion in a book, and really ‘see’ them again has opened my eyes to what I really like and where I think that I connect in photography. Most of the photos that I selected, where I really felt that I was ‘there’. In the workshop that I will be taking with Les Saucier, on March 10th, we need to bring 6 photos for critique. Some where we felt that we really showed up, others where we were there, but didn’t quite ‘show up’. All of the ones where I sincerely felt that I showed up are landscape and macro. All, early morning, very few in the evening. Obviously, that’s where I do my best work. It helps to know that. I don’t see it as a constraint, merely knowledge.
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Since about 2009, I’ve been all over the map. A little bit of street photography, iPhone photography, this, that, the other. Chaotic. It was all a big experiment, or perhaps where my mind was, a bit, no, a lot unsettled. However, I can tell you that when I went into the park yesterday, put my camera on the tripod, and began to shoot, it felt right. I felt connected again. I felt at peace and felt like I knew what I was doing. The first time that I’ve felt that in a really long time. Everything else felt rushed and unsure. The only downside was that I was limited by time.

I think that I connect in the woods and with people, in a portrait setting and I hope to have some more of those opportunities, perhaps a chance to combine the two! So, more than likely, you’ll be seeing a lot more landscape/insect/wildlife photos from me, with a few portraits thrown in.

 Posted by at 23:13  Tagged with: , , ,

Dense Fog Advisory

 Photography  10 Responses »
Feb 282012
 

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It was my desire to make it to the other side of town this weekend, but it was so windy and cold that I decided to skip it.

This morning, I awoke, checked the iPhone to see what the morning’s weather would bring. To my surprise and happiness, there was an non-precipitation warning: Dense Fog Advisory. Well, I do have this fog fetish, you know. :D I got up, gave a look out the window, saw lots of fog, but didn’t get too happy, yet. I know how flaky fog can be. Sometimes it just settles in patches.
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When I took Mr. Hobbs out to do his business, I noticed that this was not patchy. It was good and thick, like pea soup, as they say … just the way that I like it. I let Hobbs finish, then took him back in, grabbed my D300 and tripod, and went to the park. It was around 6:45 AM or so. I knew that I couldn’t let myself get totally into it or I would be late for work. So, I had to stay aware of the time. :)

It takes slightly less than 10 minutes to get the park. I was listening to music on the way down, but when I got into the park, I had to turn the music off. It just seemed ‘wrong’ somehow to be listening to the music amongst the trees and the fog. A huge grin spread across my face.

I parked, got out the gear, and set about having a good time. Before I knew it, it was 7:35 AM and I was just getting ‘warmed up’ and into the flow, but I had to leave … well, maybe a few more shots, which turned into another 10 minutes.

Finally, I was able to pull myself away, go home, and get ready for work. It’s a good thing that I had a 9:30 meeting and that I had planned to go into the office instead of working from home or else, I might have been distracted a bit more. LOL.

 Posted by at 11:20  Tagged with: , , ,
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